Gadaladeniya Temple
Gadaladenyia Temple is an ancient Buddhist temple situated in Pilimathalawa, Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located on Gadaladenyia Road (B116), just up from the Gadaladeniya junction of the Colombo – Kandy Road (A1), approximately 12.5 km (7.8 mi) to the west of Kandy and 3 km (1.9 mi) from the ancient Buddhist temple, Lankathilaka temple. It is considered one of the largest rock temples in Sri Lanka
The Temple
The central temple building is unique in that it is entirely made of sculptured granite, with the exception of two shikharas made of brick, and sits on a massive stone slab. The sikharas, which are located above the sanctum, are octagonal in shape but have the features of a dagoba. After the temple was built, possibly in the 18th or 19th century, a multi-tiered and tiled Sinhalese roof resting on brick piers and wooden pillars was added to conceal the flat roof and the shikharas.
The shrine room’s entrance is marked by an ornately sculpted Makara Thorana (Dragon’s Arch). Images of Brahm, Akra, Santuita, Saman, Santhusthika, Natha, and Maitreya adorn the Makara Thorana. Inside the shrine room, there is a 2.43 m (8.0 ft) high statue of a seated Buddha in the ‘Dhyana Mudra’ pose, the meditation posture associated with his first enlightenment, flanked by four standing Buddha statues. The statue differs significantly from those from the Gampola era (1314–1415).
On the north side of the main shrine room, there is a devale dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. The devale was originally dedicated to Varuna when it was built, but as Vishnu became more popular among devotees, the Varuna shrine was replaced with a Vishnu shrine.
Vijayantha Prasada
The Vijayothpaya or Vijayantha Prasada, named after the mythical palace of god Indra, is located in the center of the temple compound. King Parakramabahu V built the shrine after the main shrine. [ The shrine consists of a central stupa that stands approximately 12.3 meters (40 feet) tall and is built on a square platform. A four-sided roof supported by four stone pillars covers the entire stupa. Four smaller matching stupas extend in cruciform angles out in the four cardinal directions on the four sides of the main stupa. These four smaller stupas are built on stone platforms and have their own shrine rooms. Originally housing images of the Four Heavenly Kings: Vaishravaa, Virhaka, Dhrutharasha, and Virpaksha, these shrines now house statues of the seated Buddha.
History
The temple’s history dates back to the 14th century. According to historical records, Ven. Seelavamsa Dharmakirti built this temple in 1344 under the patronage of King Bhuvanekabahu IV, who reigned from 1341 to 1351 A. D. Ganesvarachari, a South Indian architect, designed the temple’s architecture in Hindu artistic styles. A carved inscription about the temple’s construction can be found on the rock outcrop where it stands. The temple was built in the Dravidian architectural style incorporating Polonnaruwa-era Sinhalese architecture and other Indo-Chinese architectural patterns
Sangharaja Dharmakirti II, the author of the Sangharaja-Nikaya (14-15th century), and Vimalakirti I were both celebrated scholarly monks who lived at the temple.
The temple was abandoned until King Vira Parakrama Narendra Sinha (1707-1739) handed it over to Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero, whose students have cared for it ever since.
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